Democrat Norma Torres wins state Senate seat

Democrat Norma Torres handily won a state Senate seat in a Southern California special election after outspending her opponent in an overwhelmingly Democratic district.

With all precincts reporting, the state Assemblywoman from Pomona got 59.4 percent of the vote in Tuesday's election, according to figures on the secretary of state's website. Her Republican challenger, Ontario Mayor Paul Leon, got 40.6 percent.

Torres won the vacant seat for the 32nd Senate District, which includes portions of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.

Democratic voters outnumber registered Republicans there nearly 2-1.

Torres will serve out nearly 19 months remaining in the term of former state Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod, a Democrat who was elected to Congress and resigned in January.

Torres raised substantially more money than Leon, and Republicans are concentrating on a more winnable race next week in a Central Valley state Senate district, said Allan Hoffenblum, publisher of the California Target Book, which analyzes legislative and congressional campaigns.

Torres' victory leaves Assembly Democrats one vote short of the two-thirds majority they reached in November's general election, which is necessary for them to raise taxes, pass emergency legislation, override gubernatorial vetoes and put constitutional amendments before voters without Republican cooperation.

But Democrats expect Chula Vista community organizer Lorena Gonzalez to win a May 21 special election in the 80th Assembly District in the San Diego area. She faces a fellow Democrat, businessman Steve Castaneda, also of Chula Vista.

That race will restore Democrats' supermajority in the Assembly just as lawmakers begin considering the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Democrats already hold a two-thirds majority in the Senate.